Camiguin Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo yesterday lashed out at Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and his handlers over allegations of harassment in his province.
Romualdo said Duterte’s camp resorted to lies following a low turnout of supporters during their recent rally.
“I am disappointed and dismayed that Mayor Duterte and his camp resorted to spreading lies and smearing our names to excuse their poorly arranged, poorly organized, and poorly attended rally in Mambajao, Camiguin on March 23,” said Romualdo.
Duterte had claimed that the Romualdos threatened local residents who would agree to lend electric supply for the lighting and sound system during the rally.
The Duterte camp immediately blamed the Liberal Party for the alleged harassment.
Romualdos chided Duterte supporters for accusing him as a political world and raising his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.
“I thought that Mayor Duterte and the people in his camp were real men,” said Romualdo. “It turns out that they are just a bunch of liars, wimps, and whiners,” he added.
Camiguin Gov. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said the Duterte camp came unprepared for the campaign in the province.
“The truth is that the organizers of the Duterte rally were incompetent and lazy. They originally did not want to apply for permission to use the venue they wanted in Mambajao. It was only after they were informed that a permit is required that they very belatedly filed their application,” said Romualdo.
After realizing that it takes time to get a permit, Romualdo said the camp of Duterte chose the Freedom Park instead in Mambajao town to which a permit was immediately given.
Since the Freedom Park does not have an electricity connection, the organizers were asked if they required assistance in getting electricity for their rally. The organizers replied that they would bring their own generator,” said Romualdo.
“Hence, there is absolutely no truth to the claim that electricity to the venue was cut. There is no electricity there in the first place. The organizers knew this beforehand and that is why they arranged a generator for their rally,” he added.
“With regard to the Duterte camp’s claim that their supporters who were bound for Camiguin in the Port of Balingoan, Misamis Oriental, were forced ‘to the back of the line,’ the reports we received were that Duterte supporters wanted to cut ahead of the line of other passengers and vehicles,” said Romualdo.
“They were naturally told by the port authorities to observe the line. It would seem that Mayor Duterte’s hakot supporters do not know how to follow basic rules,” he added.
